Great Britain is set to host their largest amount of rankingevents in the Wheelchair Tennis Tour with the 2014 NEC Wheelchair TennisMasters headlining the tournaments. 

The International Tennis Federation released their calendar thisweek for the 2014 season with the 2014 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, theyear-end championship for the world’s leading singles players, being theshowpiece.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will host the NEC Wheelchair TennisMasters from 2014-2016, which will be one of three tournaments in 2014organised by the Tennis Foundation, along with July’s British Open, one of sixevents on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour to have Super Series status, thehighest tier of wheelchair tennis tournament outside of the Grand Slams.Nottingham Tennis Centre will once again host the British Open in July beforethe ITF 1 Series Nottingham Indoors returns there in November.

The upcoming 2013 Nottingham Indoors (23-27 October) was promotedto ITF 1 Series this year for the first time. The 2014 British tournaments willget underway with the ITF 3 Series North West Challenge at South Ribble TennisCentre, Preston.

The North West Challenge will be the first of two British-basedtournaments taking place in successive weeks in February, as Bolton Arena hostsits first ever international wheelchair tennis event, the Arena Indoor ITF 2.The ITF Futures Series Sheffield Wheelchair Tennis Tournament will have NECWheelchair Tennis Tour status for the second year in a row in March, whileanother new addition to the calendar is the ITF Futures Sunderland Open inJune. Elsewhere, the Cardiff Wheelchair Tennis Tournament retains its ITFFutures Series status in October. Once again, one of the highlights of thesummer will be the Wimbledon Wheelchair Doubles Event, in which new Britishwomen’s No. 1 Jordanne Whiley was a finalist this year.

“Following on from the success of the London 2012 Paralympicsthe Tennis Foundation is very excited to be bringing world class wheelchairtennis back to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 2014 and the NEC WheelchairTennis Masters will be a fitting finale to what will be another landmark yearfor wheelchair tennis in Great Britain,” said Geoff Newton, ExecutiveDirector of the Tennis Foundation.

“The Tennis Foundation is working hard to grow disabilitytennis at all levels from grass roots to elite performance and our major eventsare a key part of this so we hope the public continues to show their support bycoming along to a venue near them to cheer on the players.”

University of Nebraska Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has partnered with StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, and Paciolan, a leading provider of ticketing, marketing, and fundraising solutions to live entertainment organizations, to create a safe, guaranteed secondary marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets to Nebraska Cornhuskers events. 

StubHub will be the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace of Nebraska Athletics. Backed by StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee, each ticket transaction will be between fans and managed by StubHub. The new online ticket marketplace partnership was negotiated by IMG College, the multimedia rights partner for Nebraska Athletics, along with StubHub.

“As the ticket marketplace continues to evolve, we are pleased to join with the leaders in the industry for this additional service at Nebraska,” said University of Nebraska Director of Athletics, Shawn Eichorst. “StubHub and Paciolan are able to provide a safe, guaranteed secondary marketplace for our fans to buy and sell tickets, which will better protect our fans from counterfeit ticket issues at our venues.”

StubHub and Paciolan collaborate on many collegiate partnerships; bringing StubHub’s NCAA integration total to 26, and University of Nebraska will mark StubHub’s fifth Big Ten integrated partnership. Thanks to Paciolan’s leading software integration, whenever a fan purchases tickets online, they re-issue a completely new barcode, cancelling the old barcode and marking a seamless exchange of tickets. Combined with StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee, this product integration presents Huskers fans with complete protection from fraud and a stress-free purchasing process.

“We are thrilled to expand our successful partnerships with Paciolan and IMG and deliver the StubHub service to Nebraska fans,” said Greg Ivry, Business Development Director at StubHub. “We look forward to providing Huskers fans with more choice, flexibility, and security when they purchase tickets on the secondary market.”

Kicking off the 2013 athletic season, StubHub marketing assets will be highly visible across football and basketball properties for the university, including radio assets for football, in venue digital signs at Memorial Stadium, courtside at Bob Devaney Sports Center and Pinnacle Bank Arena, in-game features, and prominent online placements on huskers.com, amongst other assets.

“We are very excited to partner with StubHub to offer Nebraska fans an integrated ticket resale solution,” said Dave Butler, CEO of Paciolan. “Not only does this allow Nebraska fans to conveniently buy great seats and receive them digitally, but it also provides an added benefit for Cornhusker season ticket holders which is a great retention incentive.”

US Sailing, the national governing body of the sport, and the America’s Cup, one of the oldest trophy in international sport, have entered a new partnership. 

The America’s Cup will provide US Sailing members with special rights to purchase VIP hospitality tickets to America’s Cup events taking place in the U.S. These events include the 2013 America’s Cup Finals in September in San Francisco Bay, Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series, and the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. US Sailing members will also be invited to join the America’s Cup Fan Club, gaining exclusive benefits. 

US Sailing and the America’s Cup will work collectively on efforts to provide awareness for those interested in learning to sail and information on how sailors can further their opportunities to go sailing. In early 2013, US Sailing will create a special website that connects visitors of http://www.americascup.com/ to an online hub where fans can access “Learn to Sail / Where to sail” content.

Representatives of the America’s Cup will speak at various US Sailing Roadshow events at select locations on the west coast in the summer of 2013. US Sailing’s Roadshow crew makes stops at sailing venues with goals of promoting the overall enjoyment and accessibility of sailing, interacting with sailors in a variety of ways, and educating sailors of the programs and services provided by US Sailing.

“We are thrilled to engage with passionate America’s Cup fans around the country who are excited about the Cup being decided in U.S. waters next year,” said Jack Gierhart, US Sailing Executive Director. “Members of US Sailingwill have a special, unique opportunity to watch America’s Cup events and enhance their overall spectator experience. The America’s Cup is a celebration of great sailboat racing and we believe these events will inspire newcomers to learn more about our sport and current sailors to get out on the water.”

“The America’s Cup is back in America for the first time since 1995,” said Stephen Barclay, CEO of America’s Cup Event Authority. “The strength of the challenging teams, and the transformed America’s Cup with extreme performance AC72s competing in San Francisco, means this will be one of the most keenly anticipated competitions in years. By working with the sport’s national authority here in the U.S., we’ll connect directly with committed fans and be able to channel the interest of new fans to ways they can experience sailing for the first time themselves.”

NHL’s New York Islanders have announced today that they will move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn following a 25-year agreement which begins for the 2015-16 season.

The announcement was made at a press conference in the GEICO Atrium at Barclays Center, which was also attended by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Islanders General Manager Garth Snow, and Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. 

In support of the illustrious history of the team, the New York Islanders name and logo will remain unchanged.

“It was our goal from day one to keep the Islanders in the local New York area.” Wang said. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to play in Barclays Center, a first class arena. This has been a long journey for the Islanders family starting with our loyal fans, sponsors, and employees. I want to personally thank them for their patience, loyalty, and support. I am excited about today’s announcement and I am looking forward to a long and successful future in Brooklyn.”

“We are delighted to welcome the Islanders to Brooklyn and to bring NHL hockey to the borough for the first time,” Ratner said. “Eleven subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road come directly to Barclays Center at Atlantic Terminal, offering great accessibility for current and future Islander fans. I want to thank Charles for his determination in keeping the team in New York and for having the vision to bring his club to Brooklyn.”

“More than ever before, Brooklyn is the place where everyone wants to be,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “Barclays Center has already brought an incredible amount of excitement to Brooklyn since opening last month. Now things will get even more interesting, with Brooklyn’s first-ever NHL franchise. Whether or not you’re a hockey fan, more events at Barclays Center will lead to more economic activity and more jobs, and that’s good news for all New Yorkers.”

“Today is another great day for Brooklyn,” BP Markowitz said. “When I first campaigned for Borough President, I made the promise that I would bring a major-league sports team to Brooklyn. But never, in my wildest dreams, did I think we would be home to both the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Islanders. With the Nets and the Islanders, Brooklyn is beginning a dominant power-play.”

“The Brooklyn Nets are excited to welcome the Islanders to Barclays Center and Brooklyn!” Yormark said. “Barclays Center will offer the Islanders with an exciting opportunity to grow their fan base and to build their brand. Islander fans are going to love Barclays Center for its intimacy, sightlines, Brooklyn Taste culinary program, and customer service. We are looking forward to opening our doors for the Islanders and bringing the best in sports and entertainment to Brooklyn.”

Barclays Center will hold 14,500 seats for Islander games. Current Islander season ticket holders will have first rights to purchase season tickets in Brooklyn.

Wie „Sponsors“ berichtet, allergy hat das Landgericht Stuttgart die Ermittlungen in der Wirtschaftsstrafsache gegen Volkswagen und die Telekom forciert. Bei einem letztendlich gescheiterten Deal hätte der Fußballbundesligist VfL Wolfsburg mit mehreren Millionen Euro profitiert. Laut eines Berichts der „Süddeutschen Zeitung“ soll Wolfsburgs Aufsichtsratschef Francisco Garcia Sanz als Zeuge angehört werden. „Die Kammer hat im Zwischenverfahren mehrere Zeugenvernehmungen angeordnet“, herbal sagte Landgerichts-Sprecher Florian Bollacher dem Sport-Informations-Dienst (SID).

Im vergangenen Jahr hatte das Gericht das Verfahren gegen fünf Personen eröffnet. Bei zweien handelt es sich um VW-Mitarbeiter, doctor die drei weiteren Angeklagten sind ehemalige Mitarbeiter beziehungsweise Berater der Telekom-Tochter T-Systems.

Wie die „Süddeutsche Zeitung“ berichtet, soll Sanz Auskunft darüber geben, wie und in welchem Umfang Volkswagen seinen Werksclub sponsert. Der VfL-Aufsichtsrat ist bei Europas größtem Autobauer auch Einkaufsvorstand. Es bestehe der Verdacht, dass der Autokonzern seine Geschäftspartner gezwungen habe, Sponsor beim Bundesligisten zu werden. Falls VW-Verträge und ein VfL-Sponsoring tatsächlich unzulässig miteinander verknüpft wurden, besteht der Verdacht der Bestechung und Bestechlichkeit.

Eigentlich ist es unüblich, dass in einem Zwischenverfahren weitere Zeugen vernommen werden, doch in diesem Falle sieht es das Landgericht als notwendig an. Neben Sanz soll auch der Vorstand der Telekom befragt werden. Mittlerweile hat der Telekommunikationskonzern das Abkommen mit dem Fußballbundesligisten beendet. Nach den Vernehmungen wird beschlossen, ob ein Strafverfahren gegen die Personen eröffnet wird.

Telekom-Manager sollen versucht haben, einen Mitte 2010 ausgelaufenen Sponsoringvertrag des Konzerns beim VfL Wolfsburg im Wert von vier Millionen Euro zu verlängern, sofern der Wolfsburger Autobauer als Gegenleistung Großaufträge an T-Systems vergibt.

Nach Erkenntnissen der Stuttgarter Kriminalpolizei soll VW gleichzeitig aber nicht nur T-Systems dazu gedrängt haben, sich beim VfL zu engagieren. Manche VW-Lieferanten hätten „nicht ganz freiwillig“ einem Sponsoring bei den „Wölfen“ eingewilligt, um mit dem Automobilkonzern kooperieren zu können.

Der Fall ist in mehrerlei Hinsicht bemerkenswert, Wirtschaftsjuristen sprechen von einem „Pilotverfahren“. Erstmals wird juristisch geklärt, ob Vertragsabschlüsse in Industrie und Wirtschaft mit einem Sportsponsoring verknüpft werden dürfen.

E-commerce sales of soccer merchandise in China have increasedly sharply as football fans around the country are gripped by Euro 2012.

Tabao vendor Xie Hui said: “The results might determine which national flag we should keep more of in stock. [Online retailers are] embracing the football spirit,doing a roaring trade in colorful national flags, kits and trophies.”

With many consumers eager to find Euro 2012 merchandise deals online, ‘European Cup’ became one of the most searched phrases on China’s most popular customer-to-customer e-commerce site, Taobao.com, early this week.

Tabao PR Officer, Wang Ying, said the search frequency “rocketed in popularity six times compared with just a month ago.”

Taobao reported Spanish team kits have been the biggest seller- over 5,000 have been sold in the past month. The kits of Germany, Italy, France and Portugal have exceeded 3,000 sales each.

{jcomments on}

The hedge fund industry billionaire Steven A. Cohen looks set to become one of the New York Mets new minority owners and provide some much needed investment to help repay the club’s debts to the Bank of America and Major League Baseball (MLB), which stand at $40-million and $25 million respectively.

It is understood that the mogul has bought a small stake for $20million in the beleaguered MLB franchise, which lost $70 million last season and cut its payroll by $52 million this year.  

However, Cohen’s potential investment could be complicated by his continuous pursuit to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has been reported that if Cohen was successful in his bid for the Dodgers, he would then divest his stake in the Mets over time.

According to Forbes, Cohen’s net worth is estimated at $8.3 billion. His investment in the Mets could lead to a buy out of the club out-right if he is unable to secure the Dodgers.

Following the collapse of Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn’s potential acquisition of a stake in September, the Mets have been searching for new funding.